"I’m here to see my uncle. Uh...Commander Hunter." Jason pointed toward the door. "He should be inside, right?"

The soldier gave him a thorough once-over before turning to knock on the door.

"What is it?"

The moment the familiar voice rang out from inside, Jason’s eyes lit up with excitement. Before the soldier could even continue speaking, he blurted out loudly, "Uncle! It’s me! Jason"

"Jason? Quick, get in here!" The commanding voice from inside carried a rare trace of excitement.

The soldier immediately opened the door, and Jason hurried inside.

The moment he entered, he saw Isaac sitting on the bed.

Compared to the last time they met, Isaac had clearly lost weight. His face looked pale, though his posture remained upright and imposing.

There was also another man in the room, someone Jason had never seen before.

The middle-aged man wore a long black coat, sporting a thin goatee and long hair tied neatly behind him. He carried an almost otherworldly air, like some villain from a comic book about superheroes.

Jason smiled politely at him as he passed by, catching the strong scent of medicinal herbs lingering around the man. But he had no time to think further about it.

What mattered more was Isaac’s condition.

"Uncle, Robert said you were sick!" Jason hurried over anxiously.

Isaac still looked fairly spirited despite his pale complexion.

"It’s nothing serious. Just a minor injury." Then he looked Jason up and down before snorting. "So the brat’s still alive, huh?"

Jason nearly choked to death from those words. "Uncle, how can you say that?!" he protested loudly.

What did he mean by the brat’s still alive?! Was this really his biological uncle?

"You little rascal." Isaac laughed heartily. "Last time Robert sent people to pick you up, they waited all day and never saw you. Then we couldn’t contact you either. Of course we thought something happened to you."

"My life’s tough. I’m not dying that easily."

Jason twitched helplessly.

"I knew your stubborn ass wouldn’t die so easily."

Isaac burst into booming laughter and slapped Jason heavily on the shoulder. Unfortunately, he clearly forgot to hold back his strength.

After several brutal pats, Jason nearly felt his shoulder shatter on the spot. His face twisted in pain, and he instantly retreated several steps away from his uncle.

He had almost forgotten that ever since childhood, his uncle had been monstrously strong, the kind of person who accidentally injured people just by patting them too hard.

Even sick, he was exactly the same.

Honestly, with how energetic he looked, Jason could hardly believe he was ill at all.

Backing away several more steps, Jason nearly bumped into the middle-aged man standing nearby before remembering the other person was still there.

He quickly smiled apologetically before lowering his voice and asking his uncle, "Uncle...who is this gentleman?"

Isaac introduced him casually. "This is Doctor Riato; he specializes in... holistic methods of healing. He has been with me for many years. He’s currently treating my condition."

Jason was stunned.

Damn. So he was basically his uncle’s friend...

"Nice to meet you, Doc!"

Riato merely gave a calm nod, his attitude polite but distant.

Jason did not take offense. Powerful experts usually had eccentric temperaments anyway.

His attention quickly returned to Isaac.

"Uncle, you still haven’t told me what kind of injury you got. Is it serious?"

The smile on Isaac’s face faded slightly. "Just some external wounds that got infected. Don’t worry. The doc is here, I’ll recover soon enough."

When he said the last sentence, his expression carried a faint trace of distraction, as though he was not only reassuring Jason, but also convincing himself.

"That’s good." Only then did Jason finally relax.

He dragged over a chair and sat beside Isaac, chatting with him about everything that had happened during his time outside.

Naturally, the topic soon shifted toward Suzy and the others.

Jason’s storytelling was practically identical to the speech he had given Robert earlier, endlessly praising Suzy to the heavens.

"Enough already." Isaac waved him off impatiently. "Quit rambling in my ear and just tell me what you actually want."

Jason grinned sheepishly.

"It’s like this, Uncle. My friend wants some cement. She said she’s willing to trade food or other supplies for it. Could you help her out?"

Oddly enough, Jason felt far less nervous speaking to Isaac than he did around Robert.

To him, Isaac was actually the easier one to talk to.

"Fine. She saved your life. That means we owe her a favor." The man spoke decisively. "If we can help, of course we should help. So tell me, how much cement does she need?"

"Uncle, you’re the best!"

Jason immediately flashed a grateful smile and held up a number with his fingers.

"A hundred bags? Hm...fine. I’ll have someone set aside a hundred bags for them."

Jason coughed awkwardly and shook his head. "Not a hundred."

"More?" Isaac asked.

"Yes," Jason said weakly.

"How much exactly? Just spit it out."

"A thousand bags."

"Get the hell out!"

Isaac’s first reaction was exactly the same as Robert’s. He thought Jason was joking.

"Uncle, I’m serious!" Jason protested quickly. "She really needs that much."

"A thousand bags of cement? Impossible. We can’t spare that much. At most, a hundred bags."

Jason’s mouth twitched. How was he somehow negotiating the amount lower and lower every time?

"Enough." Isaac waved him off. "Talk to your brother about this later. He’ll handle it."

Jason’s face instantly fell. He had come here hoping to bargain for more, only to walk things backward instead.

"Uncle, can’t you at least—"

Before he could finish, the silent Riato finally interrupted. "Commander Hunter. It’s time."

"All right. Go ahead." Isaac nodded.

Jason glanced back and forth between them. Whatever he had wanted to say got swallowed back down immediately.

"Time for what?" he asked curiously.

"Time to change the medicine," Isaac replied.

"Can I stay and watch?" Jason asked quickly.

"It’s nothing important. Stay if you want."

Curiosity immediately lit up Jason’s eyes. He had been wondering this whole time what kind of injury his uncle had suffered.

He found a corner to stand in, ready to investigate thoroughly.

Riato somehow produced a medical case from nowhere and walked over to Isaac.

Meanwhile, the man had already removed his outer jacket, revealing a camouflage T-shirt underneath.

The moment the jacket came off, a vicious wound on his arm was exposed.

Jason sucked in a sharp breath.

Isaac glanced at him and laughed. "Scared you, huh?"

"N-not really," Jason said stubbornly.

He stepped closer for a better look, brows knitting tightly together.

"Uncle...what caused this?"

The wound stretched more than ten centimeters along Isaac’s arm, looking as though it had been slashed open by some sharp weapon. It was deep, grotesque, and still hadn’t healed. The flesh around the edges curled outward horribly.

The surrounding skin had turned a terrifying purplish black. Some areas had already begun festering with pus.

At first glance, it looked horrifying. Then Jason noticed something else. Tiny translucent blisters covered the skin around the wound.

His eyes widened. Why did this look so similar to the acid rain infection on his own leg?

"Uncle...was your wound infected by acid rain too?" Jason blurted out.

Both Isaac and Riato turned toward him in surprise.

Isaac frowned. "How did you recognize it? You can tell?"

"Well...mine looks almost the same." Jason scratched his head. "My injury got infected by acid rain too. It looks really similar to yours."

The instant those words left his mouth, Isaac’s expression changed dramatically.

"You got injured too? And infected?!"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. I got infected too."

Isaac immediately forgot about his own treatment altogether. He grabbed Jason by the arm and yanked him closer.

"Where’s the injury? Let me see!"

Their reactions startled Jason. Still, he obediently rolled up his pant leg and revealed the wound.

"Here."